Gimbler Perdomo Zamora

Panorama Estéreo

December 1, 2002, in Gigante, Colombia

Perdomo, news director and general manager of FM radio station Panorama Estéreo in the town of Gigante, was shot and killed while walking home with his wife, authorities told CPJ. The journalist was shot six times at 10 p.m. and died instantly. A bullet grazed his wife's face, but she was not seriously injured.

A police spokesperson said that two men and a woman were involved in the shooting but offered no motive. The murder is under investigation.

Perdomo, 32, hosted two news programs at the station but rarely commented on Colombia's civil conflict, political corruption, or other sensitive topics, said colleague Andres Garzón. Most of the station's other programming is devoted to music.

Perdomo occasionally received calls during his broadcast from listeners complaining about problems with municipal services and sometimes publicly encouraged local politicians to act, said Garzón.

Neither Perdomo nor the station had received threats before the killing. The journalist was a town councilman in Gigante for 10 years beginning in 1990. He chose not to run for re-election in 2001, according to Garzón.

Perdomo was also an administrator at a hotel and restaurant in Gigante.

The leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is reportedly active in the region.

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.